Devoran and Perran and The Port of Hayle

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Devoran and Perran

   Devoran is a quiet village at the head of Restronguet Creek, a tidal arm of the Fal estuary south of Truro, and it takes a little imagination to see it as the busy industrial port it once was. In the nineteenth century, the Redruth and Chasewater Railway brought copper ore down from the mines to quays here, where ships loaded it for smelters in South Wales and returned with coal. The remains of the quays, ore hoppers and old warehouses are still visible along the shore, and the village is part of the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape, listed by UNESCO in 2006.

   Read the complete Devoran and Perran write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Devoran and Perran is where the day begins. Next is Portreath Branch of the Hayle Railway.

2. 2. Portreath Branch of the Hayle Railway

   Cornwall's first railways were built to carry copper ore down to the sea and coal back up, and the Portreath branch of the Hayle Railway was one of the busiest. It opened in 1837, joining the mines around Redruth to the small harbour at Portreath on the north coast, where ore was loaded onto ships bound for the smelters of south Wales, and coal came in to feed the pumping engines. A tramroad had already done the same job here since the early nineteenth century, and the railway replaced it with steam power and heavier loads.

   Read the complete Portreath Branch of the Hayle Railway write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Portreath Branch of the Hayle Railway comes up about 17 km into the recorded legs. Next is The Port of Hayle.

3. 3. The Port of Hayle

   Hayle does not look like much at first: a long, low town strung along an estuary, a scatter of industrial buildings, quays slowly silting up and a lot of sand. But in the nineteenth century this was one of the engine rooms of the world. Two great foundries here, Harvey's and the Copperhouse company, built the steam engines that pumped water out of Cornish mines and later out of mines and waterworks on several continents. The harbour shipped copper ore out and coal in, and the whole place is part of the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape World Heritage site.

   Read the complete The Port of Hayle write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   about 31 km into the recorded legs you reach The Port of Hayle. Next is back through Portreath Branch of the Hayle Railway.

4. 4. back through Portreath Branch of the Hayle Railway

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Portreath Branch of the Hayle Railway write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   back through Portreath Branch of the Hayle Railway, late in the day. Next is Devoran and Perran.

5. 5. Devoran and Perran

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Devoran and Perran write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Back at Devoran and Perran. That is the ride.